“Desalina”
63X78 in frame
pastels & gold leaf on cicada wing paper mounted on canvas
Leaving Sardinia with her Mother, in search of her Father whose letters stopped arriving months beforehand, Desalina Guido arrived at Ellis Island in 1912. She was 14, lost her baby brother at
sea, stopped her Father from marrying another woman and began kindergarten. Learning the alphabet only, one week being a giant amongst toddlers
was enough to make her quit school. But that didn’t stop her from living an incredible life full of family. She passed away sweetly one night, she was 97 years old. She was my Great Grandmother,
Desalina the Wonderful, Desalina the Wise, Desalina the Warrior.